Google pays people to use less electricity to run their data centers In Google and Veltos' program, the spare capacity of home consumers and local businesses is pooled to create a virtual power plant funded by Google. Whenever the electricity grid is under pressure, for example during a heat wave, Voltos asks people to reduce their energy consumption. Participating households and businesses, however, enjoy financial benefits. These benefits include reducing the cost of electricity bills and paying money directly. This participation is voluntary and a significant part of reducing consumption can also be done with technologies such as smart thermostats and batteries.